David Barclay Miller -- Missing in Arizona Since 1998

Paraphrased details from government source**: 

David was last seen leaving for a two-and-a-half-day hiking trip in Sedona, Arizona on May 19th, 1998. David was an experienced hiker employed by the Sedona Forest Service. David's vehicle was found abandoned at the Vultee Arch Trail in Sedona, AZ. Mr. Miller was an experienced hiker and was a seasonal employee with the United States Forestry Service.

Missing Person: David Barclay Miller
Last-contact date: May 19th, 1998 (Tuesday)
The area where the MP was last seen: Sedona, Arizona
Link to government source: NamUs MP 

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sex: Male
Age at time of disappearance: 22 years old
Birthdate: July 6th, 1975
Hair: Sandy
Eyes: Blue and may be wearing glasses or contact lenses
Scar: None known
Height/weight: 5'11" to 6'1" and 160 to 170 pounds
BMI*: David Barclay Miller was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: David Barclay Miller did not have any tattoos associated with his profiles.

David Barclay Miller, a missing person, was last heard from on Tuesday May 19th, 1998 when he was 22 years old. The last people to see him before he went on a two-day hike were his co-workers on May 19th, 1998 at the Beaver Creek Ranger Station. He left a note indicating what his plans were but a search started when he did not report to work as expected on Friday May 22nd, 1998. This individual has now been missing for about 23 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.

There was significant newspaper coverage with this missing person. His truck was found at the Vultee Arch Trail in the Sedona area. In coverage I read, there was a concern that he would not have enough drinking water in a part of the USA that is very dry and hot.

25 May 1998, Mon Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, Arizona) Newspapers.com

The Vultee Arch Trail is only a 5.8-km "heavily trafficked" trail according to AllTrails.com. However, it is connected to a broader network of trails and backcountry. The missing person may not have perished near the specific trail that his profile is associated with.

What is puzzling with this case is that I did not find any indication that his campsite was located. He was on a multi-day trip and would surely have needed supplies and, I assume, a tent. 

If his campsite was packed as he traveled on foot then he should be a pretty big target to find in an arid part of the USA where the forests are not as thick as many other parts of the country. If he was unpacked and set up for camp when he suffered a mishap, I would think that someone would have found his campground after all this time. 

I do find the concern over his lack of water to be a little difficult to accept. Surely, this is a hot place in the USA. In fact, I looked up the temperatures for the Sedona area on May 20th, 1998 and found a high of 83F (about 28C). But overall, the way I feel about this case is that something sudden and unexpected happened to him. Conversely, running out of a water, when you start with a lot of it, is something that someone would see coming: you could turn back when you realize you didn't bring enough. 

This trail is also very popular. I wondered how it could be that someone didn't help him as he would have foreseen any water shortage approaching.

20 May 1998, Wed Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff, Arizona) Newspapers.com

When he disappeared, he was thought to have a t-shirt, shorts and black hiking boots, and a forest-green Gregory backpack. Those details can be cross-referenced against John Does. It would help to know what supplies he was carrying as well. Furthermore, what was found in his vehicle might be interesting. 

The following Youtube video shows what the region was like in 2009. As you can see, there are a lot of smooth edges where someone that's feeling adventurous might fall.

Popular Tag: "Car Found Person Missing" is a popular tag for this site. It describes a missing person who either owned or was using a vehicle at the time of his/her disappearance. The vehicle is found but the person is not. Click the hashtag at the bottom of this blog post to see just how many times this pattern is present in missing person cases.

 

Author: Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 2021.

If you like this blog, then you can join the affiliated Facebook group: MPC Facebook Group

Website hashtag: #MPCSL

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Might not be the exact meaning that NamUs or Canada's Missing conveys. I improve upon their descriptions with my research.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing persons case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.

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Michael August Cannon -- Missing Since December 25th, 1966 From Hawaii

This article is part of a series that looks at missing trail hikers. Click the "trail hiking series" hashtag at the end of this blog to see all thematically related articles.

Paraphrased Details from NamUs**: 

Michael August Cannon left his family's Kahala home in Hawaii early Christmas morning in 1966. He left a note stating that he planned to hike on Tantalus. His empty car was found at the top of Tantalus the next morning. The resulting search and rescue mission, which at the time was the largest and most expensive ever in Hawaii, failed to find Michael. However, his vehicle was found at Tantalus trailhead the next morning. This vehicle had his jacket in it and five dollars. The doors were locked.

Missing Person: Michael August Cannon
Last-contact date: December 25th, 1966 -- left a note in the morning, he may have been seen on the Tantalus Trail at about 5pm later that day (HSB Jan 3 1967 A-1A), however, I considered sightings of this missing person to be tenuous
The area where the MP was last seen: Honolulu, Hawaii
Link to government source: NamUs MP 

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: White or Caucasian
Sex: Male
Age at time of disappearance: 18 years old
Birthdate: Michael August Cannon was born between December 26th, 1947, and December 25th, 1948 based on his reported age at the last date of reported contact.
Hair: Brown, short-cropped and curly
Eyes: Brown
Scar: None indicated
Height/weight: 5'11" and 165 to 175 pounds
BMI*: Michael August Cannon was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: Michael August Cannon did not have any tattoos associated with his profiles.

Michael August Cannon was last heard from on December 25th, 1966 when he was 18 years of age. This individual has now been missing for about 55 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.

A couple things stood out to me while researching this missing person case. Firstly, he went missing on Christmas Day. Often, the holidays at the end of the year are a time of celebration but there is a lot of depression at that time of year as well. However, I didn't really find anything mentioning depression or despondence with this missing person. He seemed to have a bright future that he was looking forward to.

One detail that stands out with this case is that Michael Cannon had a share in a $2,750,000 inheritance at the time of his disappearance ($5.5M; half went to mother, mother left the other half to her children). According to SmartAsset.com, $1,000,000 in 1966 would be worth $8,269,865 in 2021. Accordingly, $2.75M would now be worth $22,742,128.75. He was not the sole inheritor to this amount but was one of five grandchildren to a "chemical magnate" who made a fortune. 

31 Dec 1966, Sat Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii) Newspapers.com

The area where the hiker went missing is one that I'm familiar with from another case. Michael's car was found at Tantalus trailhead on December 26th, 1966. In more recent times, Wynn Lindsey went missing in the same area. Lindsey's car was also found near a trailhead. One difference is that Michael's doors were locked while Lindsey's car had a door open.

Michael Cannon remains lost, however, he is not lost without a trace. A shirt of his was found, the only result of a well-financed expedition over ten months that included ground searchers, "professional mountaineers from California," "search dogs from Canada," and some not-so-helpful psychics and something called "map-reading mystics." As soon as you see psychics or 'mystics' involved in a search, don't be surprised if the person isn't found: it means someone that doesn't have a scientific mentality is influencing the search. 

16 Jul 1997, Wed Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii) Newspapers.com

The shirt that was found seemed like a tenuous connection to Michael to me. It was found tied to a bush by a man named Richard Davis. Also, there were people that thought they saw someone matching his description, however, these sightings seemed tenuous to me.

The possibility that Michael disappeared intentionally was mentioned in many articles, often as an opinion of the police. It's hard to imagine someone giving up such a large inheritance, in my opinion. Furthermore, police, in my opinion, seem keen to believe in whatever hypothesis is easiest on their budgets. If Michael is missing voluntarily, then what need is there to search? It's an easy way out for them. Michael's mother was adamant that he remained on Oahu in all sources that I encountered.

I did some research on the trail that he went missing on, the Tantalus Trail. It seemed that in 1966 there was Tantalus Trail 1 and Tantalus Trail 2.

02 May 1966, Mon Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii) Newspapers.com

I found one case that shared some details from about the same time. A man with similar demographics to Michael went missing in what I think is the same trail network a few months earlier. I don't know if he was ever found. In addition to similar demographics, the man's car was found locked just as Michael's was. Tantalus Trail is mentioned in the article.

21 Oct 1965, Thu The Honolulu Advertiser (Honolulu, Hawaii) Newspapers.com

Michael Cannon was associated with a lot of clothing articles and/or possessions. Note the following with this case: 'Blue jeans', 'tan hiking bootsa white t-shirt with "Judson School" (of Scottsdale, AZ) on the front', 'Olive-drab backpack', 'canteen', 'high energy candy bars', 'Polaroid camera', 'first aid kit in a blue-and-white plastic case', and a map of the trail area.

Please, take a moment to share this blog post on social media using hashtags relevant to the missing person's area. Also, please include the website hashtag #MPCSL.

Popular Tag: "Car Found Person Missing" is a popular tag for this site. It describes a missing person who either owned or was using a vehicle at the time of his/her disappearance. The vehicle is found but the person is not. Click the hashtag at the bottom of this blog post to see just how many times this pattern is present in missing person cases.

 

Author: Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 2021.

If you like this blog, then you can join the affiliated Facebook group: MPC Facebook Group

Website hashtag: #MPCSL

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources. Details may be added.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing persons case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.

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